Really labored over some of these.

Offense
QB Rudy Carpenter, Sr., Arizona State
RB Jahvid Best, So., California
RB Jeremiah Johnson, Sr., Oregon
TE Rob Gronkowski, So., Arizona
OL Alex Mack, Sr., California
OL Jeff Byers, Sr., USC
OL Juan Garcia, Sr., Washington
OL Max Unger, Sr., Oregon
OL Andy Levitre, Sr., Oregon State
WR Mike Thomas, Sr., Arizona
WR Brandon Gibson, Sr., Washington State
K Thomas Weber, So., Arizona State

Defense
DE Nick Reed, Sr., Oregon
DT Fili Moala, Sr., USC
DT Brian Price, So., UCLA
DE Dexter Davis, Jr., Arizona State
LB Rey Maualuga, Sr., USC
LB Brian Cushing, Sr., USC
LB Zach Follett, Sr., California
CB Jairus Byrd, Jr., Oregon
CB Alterraun Verner, Jr., UCLA
FS Taylor Mays, Jr., USC
SS Patrick Chung, Sr., Oregon
P Keenyn Crier, So., Arizona

KR Ronald Johnson, So., USC
PR Sammie Stroughter, Sr., Oregon State

From FoxSports.com:

1. OL Jeff Byers, USC

In terms of perseverance, you might need to break out a sixth star for Byers, who battled his way back from serious injuries to start at guard last season and play in 13 games. After looking like a blue-chipper as a true freshman in 2004, he missed all of 2005 and 2006 with torn cartilage in his hip and back problems, respectively. Byers played well in his first season back with USC, showing hints of why he was so highly touted coming out of high school, and laying the foundation for what should be an ever better final season.

Revised Rating: 2 stars

11. WR Fred Davis, USC

Relatively anonymous through the first three years, Davis erupted his senior season, parlaying 62 catches for 881 yards and eight touchdowns into the 2007 Mackey Award. A rangy wide receiver coming out of Rogers (Ohio) High School, he added a few pounds and adjusted well as a seam-splitting tight end with a knack for making acrobatic grabs. The most prolific tight end in USC history, Davis should be plucked in one of the first two rounds of April's NFL Draft.

Revised Rating: 4.5 stars

12. LB Keith Rivers, USC

A three-year starter on the weakside, Rivers distinguished himself as one of the nation's most complete linebackers, tough enough to defend the run and athletic enough to cover the pass. He finished his Trojan career with 240 tackles, twice earning first team All-Pac-10 honors, while getting plenty of All-America recognition a year ago. Destined to have a long career in the NFL, Rivers could be off the board by the end of the first round in April.

Revised Rating: 5 stars

13. DE Jeff Schweiger, USC

While Schweiger started fast as a true freshman, injuries and all that Trojan depth prevented him from ever carrving out any sustained level of excellence. He got buried on the depth chart, eventually opting last year to return home to San Jose, where he'll play for Dick Tomey and the Spartans in 2008. In a different environment and against lesser competition, Schweiger has a second chance to impress pro scouts and add a couple of stars to his revised rating.

Revised Rating: 1.5 stars

Jeff Byers' rating is too harsh on the fact that he still has two years left of eligibility (Jeff will gain an extra year from NCAA for medical reasons).  When you consider that Jeff was the best offensive lineman we had last season and has a real possibility of being an All-American next season, you have to give the guy at least a 3-star rating.

But today on the way out to practice, that number will be seven -- healthy bodies able to go all-out.

With injured and limited players, make that 10, or one-deep Pete Carroll said, when the teams split up into offense and defense.

Here are the "healthy'' ones: Jeff Byers (broken thumb), Matt Spanos (torn triceps, gashed finger), Tiny Malu (hamstring), Butch Lewis (ankle sprain), Drew Radovich, Alex Parsons and Thomas Herring (ankle sprain).

The other seven, starting with All-American Sam Baker's hamstring pull, are far worse off than the above. Will all the more injured return for Notre Dame Saturday, Carroll was asked.

"They won't,'' he said. Not all of them.

Make that a thin cardinal line protecting USC's backfield, which also happens to be hamstrung by injuries. While every team looses players during the season (Cal lost to Oregon State without their starting QB, Stanford beat USC without their's), can anybody in the nation match up with the Trojan's carnage?

From USC football's weekly press release:

Already this season, 11 starters or projected starters have missed games with injuries:  S-CB Josh Pinkard (6 games), C Matt Spanos (3 games), TB C.J. Gable (3 games), LB Brian Cushing (3 games), CB Shareece Wright (2 games), OG Chilo Rachal (2 games), C Kristofer O’Dowd (2 games), QB John David Booty (1 game), CB Cary Harris (1 game), WR Patrick Turner (1 game) and TB Chauncey Washington (1 game).

Also, a number of key backups have missed games due to injuries: CB Kevin Thomas (6 games), OG-C Nick Howell (6 games), TB Broderick Green (6 games), TE Jimmy Miller (5 games), LB Chris Galippo (3 games), TB Stafon Johnson (2 games), WR Travon Patterson (2 games), OT Butch Lewis (2 games), OT Charles Brown (1 game), QB Mark Sanchez (1 game), S Will Harris (1 game) and CB Vincent Joseph (1 game).  Pinkard, Gable, Thomas, Howell, Green, Galippo, Patterson have season-ending injuries.

The impact of these injuries has been enormous. The team could be one fractured finger or a healed foot away from a 6-0 record.

Looking ahead to Notre Dame, here's more from the Sports Information Department:

POSSIBLE:  TB Stafon Johnson (foot), OT Sam Baker (hamstring), S Kevin Ellison (nose), OT Charles Brown (ankle), LB Rey Maualuga (hip), OG Zack Heberer (shoulder), QB John David Booty (finger), LB Brian Cushing (ankle), OG Chilo Rachal (knee), CB Shareece Wright (hamstring), C Kristofer O’Dowd (kneecap), TE Jimmy Miller (back).

OUT:  TB C.J. Gable (abdomen), WR Travon Patterson (foot), LB Chris Galippo (back), S-CB Josh Pinkard (knee), OG-C Nick Howell (hernia), TB Broderick Green (foot), CB Kevin Thomas (shoulder), OT Martin Coleman (shoulder), DE Trey Henderson, WR Damian Williams (shoulder).

That ignores all the players who are just dinged up (see Jeff Byers, pictured above) and leaves out two recently announced injuries to Kyle Moore and Terrell Thomas (hamstring).

Here's what John David Booty's hand looked like after practice today. He didn't throw at all, but he's supposed to try tomorrow with a glove.

Jeff Byers already has graduated from USC and is working on his postgraduate business degree. That’s MBA, not MIA. The difference this year that Byers is sprinkling a little football in between all the term papers and essays. That’s the weird part about this game. Everyone hears about what kind of epoch-changing football player you were in high school, and now Byers is known as one of the Trojans’ braniacs. Just the other day, freshman Aaron Corp, from Orange Lutheran, approached Byers and wanted to know all about the MBA program… continue

And as hard as it should be to play center as a true freshman, maybe the single hardest jump to make from high school, don't be surprised if thr 6-5, 300-pounder can pull it off.

If he does, look for Jeff Byers to go back to guard and Matt Spanos, on his return from a torn right triceps, becoming the all-purpose USC offensive lineman who can play all three, or five, spots from tackle to tackle.

This past Tuesday was the first "competition Tuesday" of the regular season; the corner stone of Pete Carroll's coaching technique. The practice day where the coveted starting jobs are won and lost. No spot is safe. The best man wins the position. There's no slacking here, because every member of the team is talented enough to start. This practice the older guys wanted to show the rookies how battles are done; what the famed Tuesdays are all about. This competition Tuesday, the blood was pumping.

INSIDE: Starting receiver Patrick Turner and center Matt Spanos injured during practice.

• I spent most of the day watching the defensive line during the positional drills, and later the unit drills, when they combine with (and go up against) the offensive line. The focus of today's d-line drills was on defeating cut blocks (where offensive blockers dive at a defender's legs in order to get them to the ground). The younger players seemed to struggle early on, but got better as the drill progressed. The next drills emphasized hand use techniques such as swim moves and slapping a blocker's hand away. I must say, I'm very impressed with the hand speed and power of the Trojan d-linemen. The 1-on-1 battles between the offensive and defensive linemen featured some great match-ups. Starting left guard Jeff Byers in going to be nasty this season. He displayed incredible technique and physically dominated starting DT Fili Moala twice. Averell Spicer showed that he is ready to contribute at NT this season as he beat starting C Matt Spanos on the same pass rushing drill. The best battle of the drill however, was DE Kyle Moore going against All-World OT Sam Baker. Moore has a very quick first step and gave Baker all he could handle. There is no doubt in my mind that Moore will be the starter on the right side this season, as highly touted freshman DE Everson Griffen continues to learn what big time college football is all about. The o-line looks very solid and has not skipped a beat with Charles Brown filling in at RT for projected starter Drew Radovich.
  

• During the 11-on-11 team scrimmage segment, there wasn't really much separation at RB. Marc Tyler and Hershel Dennis didn't practice, and Broderick Green (along with WR Brandon Carswell) wasn't in full pads, which meant more carries for the 7 other backs. Redshirt freshman WR David Ausberry was the star of the day for the offense, showing off his big-play capability with an impressive touchdown grab in the back of the end zone. Ausberry's size is a definite mismatch for any opponent, and is making a strong case for extensive playing time this season. CB Jim Abbot had the hit of the day when he leveled sophomore RB Stafon Johnson, who had broken off a nice run on the play, with a crushing tackle that got Johnson off his feat and put him on his back.
  

• Joe McKnight had a sub-par workout today and, like Everson Griffen, is still getting introduced to the rigors of big time college football.

• Safety Will Harris did not participate in today's practice. Apparently he suffered a stinger in his neck after yesterday's vicious hit on Jamere Holland. The coaches held him out as precaution and he should be back for tomorrow's practices.

• Today Josh Pinkard took the majority of the first team reps at free safety alongside Kevin Ellison during the 11-on-11. When he wasn't with the first team at safety he was in at corner. Pinkard is playing very well and if he continues to play at such a high level there is no way the coaching staff will be able to keep him off the field.

• Linebacker of the day... Clay Matthews. Matthews had a great day in practice today. He was blowing by offensive linemen in the 11-on-11 team scrimmage, batting down passes, and chasing down ball carriers.

• Fielding punts today were the freshmen Joe McKnight, Brandon Carswell, and Ronald Johnson and senior Desmond Reed. The freshmen had difficulties holding on to the ball as Reed looked the most comfortable and consistent.
  

3. Sam Baker, T, USC: He will be the next in a long line of great offensive lineman from USC. He's a massive man at 6-6, 310 pounds.

5. Lawrence Jackson, DE, USC: You can never have enough good pass rushers in a draft, and this guy tops them all. He really brings it off the edge.

27. Keith Rivers, LB, USC: Said he was told he'd be a second-round pick if he had entered this year's draft. With another season, he's into the top 32.

32. Brian Cushing, LB, USC: He played defensive end last year, but he will move to linebacker in the NFL. He would be an ideal 3-4 outside linebacker. He's a tough guy.

In the Mix: John David Booty, QB, USC; Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC

I think Baker and Jackson are too high and Rivers is too low.  Don't think Cushing will crack the 1st round because he doesn't seem like the type that would perform well at the combines.  Booty is too short to be in the mix for the 1st round. 

• OJ Mayo barely hangs on to the top spot in the USAToday 2007 rankings.  The top 5 is below:

1.  OJ Mayo:  6-4 SG - USC
2.  Eric Gordon:  6-4 SG - Indiana
3.  Kevin Love:  6-9 C/PF - UCLA
4.  Michael Beasley:  6-9 PF - Kansas State
5.  Derrick Rose:  6-3 PG - Memphis

• Pac-10 predictions from ESPN:

1. USC
2. California
3. UCLA
4. Oregon State
5. Arizona
6. Oregon
7. Arizona State
8. Washington State
9. Washington
10. Stanford

Toughest Schedule:  Washington
Offensive POY:  John David Booty
Defensive POY:  Antoine Cason
Newcomer of the Year:  Jake Locker (freshman UW QB)
Comeback POY:  Jeff Byers
Breakout POY:  Brandon Gibson (Wazzu WR)
Most Overrated Player:  Jonathan Stewart
Most Underrated Player:  Ryan Torain (ASU RB)
Most Dynamic Player:  DeSean Jackson
Coach on the Hot Seat:  Bill Doba
Team that May Surprise:  ASU
Team that May Disappoint:  Cal
Pac-10 Champion:  USC

I like Everson Griffen for "Newcomer of the Year", Keith Rivers for "Defensive POY", and Sean Canfield  for "Breakout POY".  Everything else I pretty much agree on...